A Coffee Drinker’s Guide to Tea
We’ve all been there—with the sudden realization that we drink too much coffee, and we have to figure out how to do the unthinkable: cut back. Maybe that realization happens when you find yourself waking up with a caffeine headache, or maybe it’s after your fourth cup of joe that you know will inevitably lead to a crash. Giving up coffee entirely was never really an option, but your doctor implores you to try something lower in caffeine, like tea.
We get it, tea gets a bad rep. It’s not the strong, bold beverage that you’ve grown to associate with your morning routine. But we think we can get you to appreciate choosing a cup of tea at our café for your next afternoon pick me up.
What is Tea?
All of the tea types that you may be familiar with—black, green, white, etc.—come from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. They become the different categories of tea after the leaves have been processed. The leaves are rolled or sometimes cut, and then oxidized to varying degrees. The most oxidized leaves are black tea, and this tea type has a bold, rich flavor. The partially/less oxidized leaves are green tea, with vegetably, delicate flavors. White tea is made of young leaves from the plant that undergo the slightest amount of processing, making it a much more delicate dried tea than the others, often with floral and fruity notes.
Benefits of Tea
For starters, tea is a delightfully healthy choice. It still contains the caffeine to keep you alert and focused, but delivers this energy-inducing compound slowly, releasing it into your blood stream over time instead of in a jolt all at once like coffee does.
It has overall less caffeine than coffee does, with a standard cup of black tea having about half the amount that a standard cup of coffee does. Green and white teas will have even less caffeine than their black tea alternative.
Tea leaves also contain an amino acid called Theanine. This is a non-essential component of proteins that promote relaxation and alertness at the same time. While the studies are still preliminary, many think this is a big part of tea’s ability to keep us focused and energized without the jitters.
Lucky Goat’s Tea Program
At Lucky Goat, we offer tea varieties from Smith Teamaker, a small batch tea company based out of Portland, Oregon. Smith Tea is all about transparently blended and artfully crafted teas, and we love having their lineup at our fingertips. We have chosen a selection of black, green, and white teas, alongside a few herbal infusions to meet your caffeine-free needs.
Black Teas
- Portland Breakfast: A Smith Teamaker spin on an English classic, this tea is a blend of Assam, Keemun, and Pu-erh teas. It’s rich, spicy, and bold.
- Lord Bergamot: A take on the classic Earl Grey! This black tea blend is fragranced with Bergamot oil, a citrus grown in Italy that gives Earl Grey its classic zing.
Green teas
- Spring Greens: This organic Mao Feng tea is harvested in Spring in the Zhejiang region of China.
- Jasmine Silver Tip: These beautiful buds from the Fujian region of China are heated and placed next to jasmine blossoms. As the blossoms open, they lend beautiful floral aromatics to the leaves.
White Teas
- White Petal: This tea is a blend of shade-dried Chinese white tea, Egyptian chamomile, and Osmanthus flowers. It is delicate, floral, and so delightful.
Herbal infusions: naturally caffeine-free
- Red Nectar: a blend of African Rooibos, Honeybush, and orchard flavors like citrus and stone fruit. This sweet, medium bodied tea is fruity and pairs nicely with honey.
- Lullaby: a blend of chamomile, ashwaganda, lemon balm, licorice, lavender, and lemongrass. This relaxing blend has citrus notes and a creamy body.
- Peppermint Leaves: just leaves of the peppermint plant grown in Oregon! This tea is perfect for after a meal, or to soothe an upset stomach.
With lots of options, we know there’s a tea that’s right for you. Swap one of your daily cups of coffee with this less-caffeinated beverage for alertness without the crash!
